Kosher meals are under Jewish law. People who follow this faith can only eat foods prepared following the guidelines. Kosher means suitable or pure. Jewish people consider these foods as fit for consumption. These rules might seem harsh and challenging to follow, but they do not in any way adversely affect the quality of the dishes. These are some crucial rules to consider. We asked professionals from one of the best kosher restaurants in Manhattan about the most important kosher dietary rules and here is what we found out.
Not all types of meat are okay for consumption
Kosher laws do not necessarily make you a vegetarian. However, you need to be cautious with the meat that you can eat. The rules state that you can only have meat from animals with cloven hooves and the ones which chew the cud. If the animal follows only one of these conditions, you cannot eat it. Pigs have split hooves, but they do not chew the cud. Hence, you cannot have pork under kosher laws. Cows, sheep, goats, and lambs are okay under the kosher laws.
Preparing the meat also needs to follow the right process. Kosher laws are strict in making sure that butchers humanely prepare the meat. Killing the animal also needs to happen quickly. Draining the blood is also a vital part of the preparation as kosher laws state that people cannot eat anything with blood. There is a long process in removing the blood, veins, and skin of the animal.
Eating dairy products
Milk products can only come from kosher animals. Kosher laws also bar impure milk such as that which comes from a donkey. Some products may add non-kosher additives in making cheese or other manufactured dairies. They are also not okay under the guidelines.
You cannot eat meat and milk together. Based on the Torah, the official religious source of these laws, you cannot cook a young animal in the milk of its mother. Therefore, any dish with meat cannot have milk in it. For instance, if you ate meat for lunch, you need to wait for a few more hours before you can have any dairy products.
For eggs, kosher laws allow their consumption. However, they need to undergo individual inspection. You cannot eat eggs with blood.
Vegetables are generally okay
When you love vegetables, you will not have problems with their consumption. Anything that grows in the soil is okay. However, kosher laws also ban the consumption of insects. Therefore, it is essential for inspection to happen to remove insects when they are present on the vegetables.
You need to choose the right kind of wine
In making some types of wine, manufacturers might include gelatin, bull blood or casein. Kosher laws do not allow them. Even for bacteria and enzymes, only the ones considered as kosher are okay. The fruits involved in making the wine also need to be clean along with the containers.
It might seem like following kosher rules is tough, but if you look at them closely, you are doing yourself a favor since kosher rules make the meals healthy.
